Delhi's air quality plunged to the 'Severe' category across multiple localities on Monday, 9 November 2026, the day after Diwali celebrations, with Sonia Vihar recording the highest Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city at 449. The city's average AQI stood at 376 — firmly in the 'Very Poor' bracket — according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer application.

Where Pollution Was Worst

Monitoring stations across the capital registered alarming readings through the morning hours. Sonia Vihar topped the city at 449, narrowly ahead of Burari Crossing at 445 and Vivek Vihar at 441, according to the Pollution Dashboard. Jahangirpuri recorded 439, Delhi University's North Campus registered 437, and Rohini clocked 435.

Other locations logging 'Severe' readings included DTU (431), Bawana (424), Chandni Chowk and Patparganj (418 each), Mundka (413), NIH Narela and Punjabi Bagh (408 each), and the Commonwealth Sports Complex and ITO (404 each). A dense smog blanket reduced visibility considerably in Inderlok and several other residential pockets during the morning.

Firecrackers Defy Supreme Court Deadline

Despite directions from the Supreme Court capping firecracker use until 10 pm, residents in several parts of Delhi reportedly continued bursting them well beyond the permitted hours. Official figures indicated that pollution levels in certain areas exceeded World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended limits by more than 50 times after the midnight hour. The pattern has drawn fresh scrutiny over the enforceability of the court's annual directives.

This is not the first time post-Diwali AQI readings in Delhi have breached the 'Severe' threshold — the city has recorded comparable or worse spikes in previous years, raising persistent questions about whether restrictions alone are sufficient to curb emissions without ground-level enforcement.

Monitoring Data Goes Dark at Peak Hours

R.K. Puram and Nehru Nagar, near Lajpat Nagar, were among the worst-affected localities until 9 pm on Diwali night. Real-time dashboards initially reflected a steep upward trajectory in AQI values. However, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) website reportedly stopped displaying live readings from several monitoring stations for a period of a few hours, according to reports. The affected stations included those at R.K. Puram, Nehru Nagar, Mundka, Sonia Vihar, and Dwarka, raising concerns about data transparency during the most critical pollution window of the year.

Political Row Over Festival Pollution

Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra targeted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal, alleging that a campaign was being run from Kejriwal's residence to 'malign the festival of Deepavali under the guise of concerns over pollution.' The allegation, which AAP did not immediately address in published statements, reflects the broader political contestation that has surrounded Delhi's annual post-Diwali pollution debate.

As the city wakes to another day of hazardous air, all eyes will be on whether emergency pollution controls — including restrictions on construction activity, heavy vehicle movement, and industrial operations under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — will be tightened further in the coming days.